15 Funniest of 2015

It’s hard to find a lot of joy in 2015. I myself spent a good portion of the year, a wayward millennial, regrouping in my hometown, hiding from the economy, and trying to remember what it is exactly that makes me me. But even from under my rock, even wrapped in a blanket of devastating news that plagues the world around us, our inboxes, and news feeds, there is always comedy, something universal to smile about, even if it’s at our own expense. Also, at least in my case, laughter allows a sense of identity. What makes us smile is who we are, and if that is the case, we are all some f’ed up funny mofos.

In no particular order, here are the 15 funniest moments of 2015:

Cameron Esposito

Now you guys, I’m not saying I’m biased, but when you Google my name I am willing to bet that Cameron Esposito’s name comes up more often than my own. I’ve written about her a lot, like, a lot lot, and she just keeps getting funnier. It’s hard to choose her best moment because it really has been her year, going out on a third national tour, releasing a menswear calendar with her new wife (Butch-Ups, SWOON), landing a book deal, but it was and always has been her standup that’s set her apart. So while her appearance on Drunk History was my favorite (talking about Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland on the “Journalism” episode y’all), or while I fangirled over her new Amy Poehler-produced web series She Said, it was her viral video, called any combination of “Lesbian Comedian” and “greatest period joke of all time,” that is kicking off the 15 funniest moments of 2015.

Tig Notaro

There’s a very fine line between devastatingly sad and hilarious and Tig Notaro’s ability to deftly balance it is what’s made her a legend. Her HBO special, Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted, doesn’t delve into her recent past like her documentary, Tig (also a best of 2015, but more for snort-sobbing). Instead, it features a completely new side of Tig, a lighter side, I’d even go as far as to say cutesy, but still with her signature deadpan delivery. There’s no picking a best joke, it’s an hour-long best moment.

Broad City

Ok, so trying to pick the funniest Broad City moment is like picking the cutest puppy. JK, it’s my puppy, and my favorite moment of this season was Abbi and Ilana’s response to catcalling from the season finale:

MORE WOMEN ON LATE NIGHT TV, more specifically, MORE FEMALE HOSTS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MOVE ELLEN AFTER 10 PM. If you didn’t catch Ellen Degeneres on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon back in September, know that Justin Timberlake was also on, as was Macklemore, and my past, present, and future sexuality hung in the balance. Jimmy was good, Ellen was better, and I woke up the next day singing Bitch Better Have My Money. Seriously, imagine what’d happen if she didn’t have to appease the daytime gaze.

JGL

Joseph Gordon-Levitt had previously proven his own lip-sync prowess, singing Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” back when it was Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Now, he is now the unrefuted champion, after taking on not only the lyrics but also the choreography of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation on Spike TVs Lip Sync Battle.

Kate McKinnon as Justin Bieber is, well, let’s just say it just makes me uncomfortable in my own lady briefs, but also in my side because it’s so achingly accurate. All of the quotable, fabulous, magnificent, genius…you get the picture. MCKINNON 2016 but also MARRY ME.

The Last F**kable Day

I could probably just list Amy Schumer and drop the proverbial mic. When isn’t she having the best year ever, especially since Inside Amy Schumer premiered in 2013? Last F**kable Day however, wins for one of the funniest moments of the series, and most definitely the year. It helps having Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dryefus, and Patricia Arquette on board to make aging out of Hollywood hilarious/saying things like “Come talk about your pussy over here!”

Tina and Amy at the Golden Globes

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting the Golden Globes is always a best of, however they may have outdone themselves with Sisters, which I have yet to see, but really? We all already know it’s the funniest movie of 2015.

And while we’re talking about the interwebz, the So Sad Today Twitter has my heart:

Julianne Moore in Times Square

Julianne Moore in Times Square would be SO much better than the homemade Elmo costume with one wayward eye looking at my boobs. Bonus if she performed something from Freeheld, then both her and I could hold each other and cry, something the empty seat next to me didn’t offer in the theater.

Kate McKinnon’s alien abduction

I’m not really picking favorites but really I am because Kate McKinnon’s retelling of her alien abduction was the funniest thing I have ever watched in my life, or maybe I was just hungover. Spoiler alert, it was both.

A male coworker explains Men Explain Things To Me to me

And in real life, while working in a bookstore earlier this year, sitting in the break room reading Men Explain Things To Me, one of my coworkers felt compelled to tell me how he’d also read the book, explaining exactly why it was so good. Now the culture of this particular location was on the misogynistic side, it’s the reason I eventually pulled myself away from my dream job of sorting self-help books to quit. But on this day, after a blissful break, his mistakenly calling the book “Men Tell Me Things” was definitely a highlight of the year.

My arms were full of books but I’d like to think I gave him the finger with my face.

Did I forget something? The future of comedy, and everything else, is female.